WASHINGTON (CNN)-The Democratic and Republican National Conventions are over, and President Bush is ready to get back to business-calling on Congress to act on several energy related issues, while condemning the Democratic leadership.

"This Congress has earned a reputation as one of the least productive in history," President Bush said in his radio address Saturday. "Throughout this year, Democratic leaders have ignored the public's demand for relief from high energy prices. This is their final chance to take action before the November elections. If members of Congress do not support the American people at the gas pump, then they should not expect the American people to support them at the ballot box."

While most of Congress was out of session during the month of August, Republicans held several protests in the chamber, urging Congress to return and vote on off-shore drilling and other GOP energy related proposals.

With Congress returning from recess Monday, the President outline three measures that need to be revisited, namely, off-shore drilling "exploration," expanding access to oil shale which can be converted into crude oil, and an extension of "renewable power tax credits to spur the development of alternative sources of energy like wind and solar."

Congress has roughly a month to decide on these matters before breaking again for election recess in late September.

(CNN)– Sen. John McCain is chipping away at Sen. Barack Obama lead in national polls.

According the latest CNN Poll of Polls, Obama now leads the Arizona senator by three points, 45 percent to 42 percent. Last Thursday's Poll of Polls showed the Illinois senator up by four points, 47 percent to McCain's 43 percent.

The latest CNN analysis of several recent surveys does not include any post Republican National Convention tallies.

"While the race appears to be tightening up a bit, it's worth keeping in mind that we still haven't seen any polling conducted after the Republican Convention," noted CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. "It's still too early to tell what - if any - bounce McCain will receive last week's GOP gathering in St. Paul. The jury's also still out on Sarah Palin, though there are certainly strong early indications that she has succeeded in energizing the Republican base."

The polls included in CNN's most recent Poll of Polls includes three surveys: CBS (September 1-3), Gallup (September 2-4), and Diageo/Hotline (September 2-4). The Poll of Polls does not have a sampling error.

Dr. Curt Menard, Gov. Sarah Palin's family friend and childhood dentist, looks over her high school yearbook.

WASILLA, Alaska (CNN) - It was the night before Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was to accept the Republican vice presidential nomination in a nationally televised speech, and Becky Moore couldn't sleep a wink.

She paced around her room and prayed before sending Palin an e-mail wishing her good luck.

"I was so nervous for her," said Moore, a dietitian who lives in Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "I felt like she was my relative, like she was about to prove herself to the country."

As much as Moore was hoping for the best, there was a part of her that didn't want to share her governor and former mayor with the lower 48, a term Alaskans use to refer to their distant countrymen with a mix of playfulness and disdain.

"No matter what happens, we win. If she becomes vice president, the rest of the country will see what a great leader she is. If she loses, we get her back," Moore said.

The night after Palin's speech, Moore and friends from her book club gathered at Wasilla's Pandemonium bookstore to discuss the Jeffrey Eugenides novel "Middlesex."

(CNN)–Following John McCain's acceptance address at the Republican National Convention Thursday night, the online buzz was curiosity about the backdrop during the first several minutes of his speech.

The backdrop in question was Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California.

Some speculated that the campaign had meant to use an image of Walter Reed Hospital, but had pulled the school’s photo by mistake.

The McCain campaign said the speculation was way off the mark. “It was never the intention of the McCain campaign or the Republican National Convention to put up a picture of the Walter Reed Hospital,” said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. “Instead, thematic pictures of Americana were shown on the screen behind the podium during the convention including a front porch, an American flag, and a school yard” - which just happened to be Walter Reed Middle School's.

School Principal Donna Tobin writes on the schools Web site, “permission to use the front of our school for the Republican National Convention was not given by our school nor is the use of our school’s picture an endorsement of any political party or view.”

The popular liberal blog Talking Points Memo pointed out that the school appears to be used in the television show “The West Wing” as the location of character Matt Santos’ presidential announcement.